The importance of a healthy and well balanced diet can in no way be
denied. However, the need for balanced nutrition is more the case for
breastfeeding women because they need more than a healthy diet to see
them through the crucial phase of lactation.

Health of the baby is dependent on the health of the mother during nursing.
Since your baby receives all her nutritional needs through breast milk,
it is important that you take the best breastfeeding nutrition.

Breastfeeding
takes away a lot of your energy and nutrients from your body that need
to be replaced at the earliest through your diet. You should maintain
a regular diet schedule that contains a wide variety of nutrients as
calcium, protein, vitamins, and iron. These nutrients are required to
produce adequate quantity of breast milk, and to maintain your health
as well.

Breastfeeding burns up about 500 calories everyday. Some
of the energy is sourced from your fat that was deposited during pregnancy.
The rest of the requisite energy has to come from your diet that you
take while you are nursing. You would like to get back to your normal
weight as soon as possible, but it is in your interest to lose weight
steadily. This will come from a mix of balanced diet and exercise.

However, you should never make the mistake of crash dieting while you
are nursing. This may have adverse effects on your health as well as
the health of your baby.

Nutrients You Require While You Are Nursing

Proteins: As your baby needs a lot of protein to grow, breast
milk provides all the proteins she requires. To ensure that you provide
enough protein to your baby, your diet should include extra protein,
which comes from milk, cheese and yogurt. The other source of proteins
is legumes, nuts and seeds.

Calcium:Your
baby needs a generous dose of calcium to develop strong bones, which
breast milk yields in abundance. To keep the supply going, you should
eat calcium-rich foods like cheese, milk, yogurt, and calcium-fortified
soy milk. If your calcium intake is insufficient, your body will use
the calcium from your bones. Thus, you run the risk of developing osteoporosis
later on.

Iron: A lot of iron is drawn from your body during
pregnancy. It is important that you replace the used up iron. The rich
sources of iron are green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole
grain products.

Vitamins: Your baby needs vitamins and so do you.
Your breastfeeding diet should include vitamin C, which you can procure
from berries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, tropical fruits, potatoes and
capsicum; vitamin A, which broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, and dark green
vegetables supply; and folate that can come from broccoli, spinach,
Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Caffeine and Breast Feeding

It is normally said that caffeine and breast-feeding do not go together.
However, studies have shown that caffeine intake of less than 750 ml
does not affect adversely most mothers and babies. While measuring your
caffeine intake, look at all the sources of caffeine such as, chocolate
(theobromine that acts like caffeine), colas, some cold medicines, pain
relievers, and other medicines.

Babies affected by caffeine are fussy, alert, and wide-eyed. If you
feel that your low caffeine intake is affecting your baby adversely,
refrain from its excessive intake beyond the prescribed limits.

Make sure that you remain particular about your breastfeeding diet,
so that you enjoy watching your baby grow healthy and strong.